Ronda Rousey pays homage to 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper following win

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 01: (L-R) Ronda Rousey of the United States celebrates her knock out victory over Bethe Correia of Brazil in the first round in their UFC women's bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 190 event inside HSBC Arena on August 1, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Ronda Rousey was already ultra-motivated going into her UFC 190 main event against Bethe Correia, but losing her close friend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper just 24-hours out from her title defense only raised the stakes.

Piper grew up under the tutelage of Gene LeBell -- the same coach who helped discover Rousey when she was rising up the ranks in Judo competitions.

Years later when Rousey was about to make her push into mixed martial arts, LeBell asked his old friend Piper if she could use his "Rowdy" nickname inside the cage.